1) The Panthers managed their final few offensive plays very badly, turning a second-and-8 from the New Orleans 36 with 1:35 left (and needing only a field goal) to a fourth-and-16 on New Orleans' 44 with 0:08 left. Needless to say, that (and targeting the unreliable Dwayne Jarrett on the final heave) didn't work.

2) Jimmy Clausen and DeAngelo Williams both took four-yard losses during that series (DeAngelo trying to make a cutback run, Clausen taking a sack) that took John Kasay out of field-goal range.

3) The Panthers seemed intent on using all of their timeouts before they ever needed to because they couldn't get their plays in (in the first half, there was an issue with the device in Clausen's helmet, and Matt Moore had to hand-signal the plays in to him).

4) Third-down conversions. The Saints were 8-of-14; Carolina was 4-of-12. This helped the Saints take a 27-10 advantage in first downs -- they seemed to have the ball the entire game.

5) Chris Gamble's 46-yard pass interference penalty. Gamble, by now, should know that if you don't ever turn around and run up a guy's back, you're going to get flagged.

3 things I did like:

1) Carolina's bend-don't-break defense actually worked, holding the powerful Saints offense to 16 points, in part due to two big fumble recoveries by James Anderson.

3) No turnovers from Clausen. The rookie made his mistakes, but he didn't turn it over once today, which helped keep Carolina in the game. And his fourth-down scramble and conversion on that last, ultimately unsuccessful drive was a big-time play.

77 comments:

Anonymous
said...

That game by far was in our grasp! The defense played well enough to win. The offense still needs to step up. Give Coach Fox and his defensive staff credit for keeping it tight. Great game by James Anderson. He was all over the place.

I'm with you. I fell a sleep on the couch and woke up after they lost. I can't watch this team anymore. After they called two time outs on their first possession of the game I was done. Don't they practice during the week? I know colleges only get 20 hrs. per week to practice (actually 17 hrs. - they count the game as 3 hours). Does the NFL have any rules in regards to how much time they practice. I see high schools excuting better than these so called professionals.

I think marty hurney should start looking for a realtor. 8 years of his bs is enough. hes made (stole) enough money he doesn't have to go back writing for the news papers anymore. he knows talent like stevie wonder knows talent.

I would like to know the last time Fox won a challenge. I saw absoutly nothing on the Munnerlyn fumble replay that warrented it being challenged. Fox as been throwing timeouts away for the longest time now. We could have definitly used another time out on that last drive.

Ok so what do we do? Watch Clausen, who is clearly miles away from being an actual nfl quarterback, learn on the job as we loose every game this year? Or do we put Moore back in and try to win something?Jimmy is no where near ready. He looked terrible all the time. He looked like a high school quarterback who won some sort of weird lottery.He's BAD! He's NOT READY! He might be one day, BUT HE'S NOT READY YET!He's a child playing a mans sport. This is frustrating. He's clueless.Jimmy only looked as good as he did because Brees had the saints on the field all day long. The scoreboard said two point win, but these two offenses are polar opposites.At least we'll get a good draft pick!

I'm starting to hate Clausen, and thats not fair. It's like punishing a child after his parents let him drive their car. Clausen is unbelievably bad right now. He is not even close. He couldn't even manage the clock at any point during that game, let alone diagnose a defense. HOLY CRAP! I hope Steve Smith punches Jimmy's face next time he has to call a time out for the team.

Fox has NEVER been good at clock management. Half the swear words I know, I learned watching the Panthers blow clock management!

I think Richardson decided Fox was gone last season and decided to make this season a low budget fiasco to make the next coach look like a miracle worker. Fox might as well resign now because this is no longer his team!

BTW, that last play, there was NO possible outcome that would've resulted in anything but a Panthers loss. They took far too long to snap the ball and then threw it where it guaranteed the clock would run out before they could do anything more. The whole play was pointless.

Clausen is not the problem. He actually looked pretty decent today. Far better than Moore did I think. Moore looked like a deer in headlights in both of his games, Clausen seems to be at least aware of the defense. Although I will admit that his clock management was horrible. But that lies on the shoulders of the Fox & Davidson just as much as Jimmy. Normal rookie mistakes, but by the end of the season he will "clearly be ahead" of Moore. This is a losing season anyway, why play Moore in hopes of winning over playing the Rookie who needs to learn? He can only learn so much with a clip board, and I think, personally, he would get nothing out of that which he does not have already.

0-4 is not the way the Panther's wanted to start off the season. Jim Harbaugh name is mentioned a lot as a replacement for Fox if he decides to turn down the Michigan when that job opens up this season.

I know this sounds bad but it could happen right. My question is, What happens to the Panther's if Jerry Richardson has a heart attack and passes away in the near future? Is this team going to be passed on down to his three kids? Is there any thought to moving this team to Los Angeles?

Has anyone heard the rumor that Bill Cower was in Charlotte on Friday for an interview? I heard from someone who claims to have inside information that this was true. I was just wondering if anyone else has heard this rumor.

Hey Panther fans - the Panthers SUCK. What is there to like about this team? Terrible coaching,evaluation of talent,ownership,play calling,drafting and players. Don't forget about the biggest PUNK in the league-Steve Smith.

I was out of town with no TV. I had a radio, but didn't even bother. Didn't care!!! The blame for this entire season needs to start at the top with the owner Jerry Richardson. He has let the fans and the team down with poor decision making as far a free agency goes and raising ticket prices as well. Hurney? Fox? JHC!!! Let the blame trickle down from there. There's plenty enough to go around but it needs to start at the top with the owner.

Okay, for the past 3 weeks I held my tongue for my girlfriend's sake because she says that I take these games too seriously. So, I decided to take a different approach this year and be a little bit more calm when and if the Panthers lost. To my shock, it happened the first 3 weeks. I said, "Oh well" and continued about my day because they played poorly and felt they will break through eventually. Then, today happens and just when I think today is the day, the final two minutes happen. I lost my mind and went through my apt like a tornado. To have that happen and end the way it did was too much to keep in. Frustrating. Steve Smith calling that timeout should have been a red flag warning for final minutes. If we had an ounce of a decent quarterback for this team, we would be underrated. Our defense is playing well and our offense can't give them a break. Call me crazy but I miss Delhomme. Clausen has a wind up doll throwing motion and locks in too much without seeing the field. Poor Steve Smith. He is a Hall of Famer with a very good quarterback. Such a shame. On to the next game.

Jake Delhomme: paid $12 million guaranteedNa'il Diggs: Set to make $1.1 million this year, cut and given $1.23 millionMaake Kemoeatu: $755,000 salary, given $2.63 million when cutDamione Lewis: $855,000 salary, given $1.42 million when cut.Chris Harris: $2 million salary given to the Bears, cap hit would have been $2.45 millionBrad Hoover: Saved $855,000 in salary by cuttingLandon Johnson: Saved $2 million by cutting

To the guy leaving all the Clausen hate comments. What are you talking about? He tripled Matt Moore's QB rating, had no interceptions, and threw some very nice passes despite another annoyingly poor O-line pass protection. Learn some football and quit blaming the most visible player.

Hey at least the Bobcats will be playing this month. We do get to see pro sports brought to us by an owner who cares about the product and is willing to spend on it. Richardson is a Shinn clone and I have been saying that for years. He is a chump. His own kids told him where to stuff it. I quit spending my time at the stadium, the arena is a much better value, and they have a team that is entertaining. Watching the Panthers is like having your teeth drilled with no Novocaine.

Oh my GOD, shut up you idiot crybaby fans. I have a whole room in my house decked out in panthers wall paint and gear, i am no bandwagon fan. Quit complaining, yes this year is going to suck, and the idiot that said put moore in is retarded. Yeah lets bench our future starter tear his confidence down because our poor fans can't suck it up for their team. There will be growing pains but look at how well the YOUNGEST defense in the league is playing, let this QB develope which he is already doing over just 2 starts and see where he is next year. NO rookie QB comes out and lights it up, but man if we let him learn we could have a great team next year. Just STFU whinning, its stupid, and if you slept through the game maybe you should be a bucs fan cause we don't want you or need you, you can come back and tell everyone the Panthers are YOUR team next year when all these young guys have some experiance and you can "brag" about how hardcore of a fan you are, you all make me sick, well all the ones that are doing this whinning. Every team goes through rebuilding and searching for future players, if clausen is our QB, we will be set for a nice long time, we have a young good defense and a great RB tandem and if our stupid fans will grit their teeth and bear down with our QB and let him learn instead of jumping ship we can have an amazing team next year but my God guys give the kid a chance.

also all this Fox, Jerry, Hurney, suck and are idiots and need to go, remember this once the lockout is done. We have almost 60 million in cap room...60 million, we see what we have this year, let these rookies play and maybe Gettis is a keeper he is doing good, when we go through free agency next year with our now experiance QB and defense we can afford to sign ANY PLAYER WE WANT, 60 mill is a lot of money in cap room, no team has more, you guys are thinking now now now, i think they are seeing what we are going to have with all these rookies we are starting and then sign accordingly, i am glad they cut those players, most had been on the roster for several years, you guys gotta learn to let go, you cant keep the same players for 20 yrs, stuff changes. Can you honestly tell me you don't think after this year when all these guys have experiance and 60 mil in cap room we aren't going to have a kick ass team?

You are a MORON. Without Fox and Hurney we would be nothing. The Panthers are NOTHING now. Fox is a pompus ASS. "It is what it is". What it is is GARBAGE. THe Carolina Panthers are a joke. The worst team in the NFL.

Honestly, the Panthers have some of the worst "fans" in the league. Sure we are all frustrated and want to see our team win, but the way we talk about the team and organization I wonder if Charlotte or the Carolinas deserve any type of professional team at all. Dont you think the other teams we play read these comments? I stuck with them through the 1 and 15 season, lost my voice during the the super bowl season and almost cried the year we lost to Seattle in the NFC chapionship, (never will forget how hard Nick Goings played) Panther fans suck!! How do you like that? GO PANTHERS!!!! I will always be a true fan!

first i wanna give a shut out to my man charley godfree i wonder where is jon beason been this season, i think jimmy is a fine qb he know as a football iq just like his head coach say but i think his not ready so please jon fox bring that stupid matt moore back. no one seem to manage the ball right in carina locker room

It's time to pull the plug... I think Stewart or Williams needs to be traded. I hear Green Bay is in the market for a good runner. If Steve Smith isn't too banged up, trade him too. We might just be able to get some good draft picks. But that would mean a coaching staff and front office that knows how get good picks.

Another bad game, clock mismanagement was horrible. Wouldn't have had time for a field goal regardless.

Far as Moore vs Clausen. I thought Clausen looked okay at times, still to much of a 'Checkdown' passer to win big games in the NFL. However Clausen looked better because he was playing a defense without most of its starting secondary, the running game finally started work some, and the o-line actually provided a little protection. Something that didn't happen at all in the first three weeks.

Clausen was 11 of 21 for 146 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. In fact, he didn't turn the ball over, period. His second full NFL game ever and you people are ripping him because he didn't stay on top of the play clock? You want to put Matt Moore back in? I am more convinced each day that Panthers fans are fundamentally retarded across the board.

I agree most of the "so called" Panther fans here are fair weather, wine and cheese wussess. You all have little clue of what your talking about and no heart at all. I truly hope that this team is positioning itself for the future, it looks that way at least. I will continute to root for the team regardless of how much it hurts to watch them go through their growing pains. Funny how the pansies that are obviously not Panther fans always post as anonymous, and never tell us their team.

Panthers suck and so do the fans that keep pouring money into them. It comes down to ownership. The owner is the one responsible for putting a quality product on the field. It takes money to make money in this entertainment industry we call football.

This team is getting better each week, they will be winning games soon. Even the games they have lost already were close games & anyone that thinks theyre boring just doesnt know what good football is. I saw 1 person say he fell asleep after the first time out was called in the first quarter. How much of a fan is that? Then i see people saying how they dont want to go to or watch a game, why do it if it isnt what you want? If you dont want to watch, dont watch, then you have nothing to cry about here. As for you psl holders, myself i wouldnt buy into that no matter how much of a fan i am. I would go buy tickets as i wanted to see the games. If i couldnt get a ticket that means the game is sold out & you can see it on tv. Only a fair weather fan would buy a season ticket, then cry about it when they are losing. You should have had the common sense to know there was a risk they would lose when you bought them. Every week, 16 teams lose. You have noone to blame but yourself when you paid for something you dont want.

Panthers-owner-is-to-blame said... Hey at least the Bobcats will be playing this month. We do get to see pro sports brought to us by an owner who cares about the product and is willing to spend on it. Richardson is a Shinn clone and I have been saying that for years. He is a chump. His own kids told him where to stuff it. I quit spending my time at the stadium, the arena is a much better value, and they have a team that is entertaining. Watching the Panthers is like having your teeth drilled with no Novocaine.

October 3, 2010 10:54 PM

Bobcats? We know who the whiny CHUMP is and its the idiot who wrote that scribble trash. Jordan? LOL. Has he quit gambling and running around with this prostitutes with TWoods in Vegas yet? Hell no.You really think MJ will spend a mint on players when BJ wouldnt buy nothin but junk and quit? MJ will be lucky to be in business 2 yrs.

Jeff Davidson and John Fox are the problem with their Stoneage offense.The defensive coordinators for each team we play have a weeks vacation planned, since the Panther's game is the same each week.No adjustments,no flexibility, no surprises just two draw plays an incomplete pass and punt.

CRYBABY fans huh ,0-4 and the WORST team in the league...what's NOT to cry about? another year of a dumba$$ lame duck coach who should be fired ASAP...JR quit wasting our players career's on this lame staff!

@ MR.Bernz lol...i've been STUBHUBING my ST since last year game 5 you idiot...only a dumba$$ could'nt see Fox isn't an NFL coach and people with common since are not wasting there money in this economy on a team with the caliber of coaching we have...being a psl holder since 95-96 i've seen us suc* to many years not to know when to stay away and sell my tickets on stubhub...lay off that koolaid pal you can't even tell a good coach from a bad one. Fox is not much above Seifert in my book..to stubborn ,non adaptive and just stupid. I am thankful to have fans as dumb as you looking through rose colored glasses or i would be stuck with these seats on a team that will thrive under new coaching...oh yeah i'm turning a nice $ on those seats a$$hole koolaid drinkers!

Let me just say Julius Peppers can't wait to face the right side of the panther offensive live this upcoming sunday. Those two seventh round picks clearly show why they were selected in that round. They should never be starters unless they are playing on a win less team. They are what you would call "career back-up" players in the NFL. They may be able to start for the UFL but not in the NFL. Schwartz will crap his pants this week when Pep lines up across from him. That will be the match-up I will be looking for. When Otah gets healthy the panthers may or may not be able to run the ball again. Those big offensive linemen put a lot of weight on those surgically repaired knees and it may take a full year to regain confidence in that leg.

Don't worry, the panthers will picking real high next season if they even have a draft next season. Its too bad because at this rate they could get a legitimate franchise Qb and not some slap that everyone passed on and eventually fell into their lap in the second round. The Patriots will also have a nice high pick in the second round thanks to the panthers brain trust. By the way is that App St. guy even active on game day? Great pick to whoever was responsible for that slap.

Please tell me when the DWAYNE JARETT ERA offically comes to an end. That receiver is one of the slowest receivers I have ever seen in football. Is he hurt or is he just that slow? I thought the NFL was made up of big, fast, athletes, not big, slow, slugs that can't run.

Carolina's offense ranks last in the NFL at 11 points a game according to the USA Today.

How can Marty Hurney cash his pay check and feel good about himself?

Now is the time for a change in the panther front office. Time to say bye, bye to some of these old faces of the franchise. It's time to hire someone who has won a Super Bowl in the past. Not someone who has lost a Super Bowl. I will never come back to B of A stadium to watch these clowns run a NFL team.

You get what you pay for in the NFL and someone needs to tell Richardson that his time on this earth is almost up. You can't be that STUPID!

Kiss my cry baby backside! I pay alot of money for these PSLs and tickets. I'm being ripped off like nobodys business! So don't tell me to stop crying when you and I both know that they are just taking our money. They don't really care what you have to say because they have all the stinking answers. I will call BS on that BS

I see all these comments about clausen being bad and not ready. I agree on one thing he is not quite ready yet but you can see that he has the potential to be great. Think about the situation he is in he is a rookie with now no veteran receivers and poor coaching. I challenge you to go and do some research and look at peyton mannings stats when he started as a rookie. He was horrible but now he is the best qb in the league. So before you hang clausen after 2 starts give it some time. man the sports fans in this city are horrible no wonder teams run for the hills and take off.

WOW WHAT A YEAR. WHAT FANS . IM WITH THE GUY WHO WROTE THIS IS A REALLY GOOD YOUNG DEFENSE THAT IS ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER AS TIME ALLOWS. NEXT YEAR WITH A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONEY AND GETTING SOME GOOD 1ST ROUND PICKS AND A SECOND YEAR QB WITH TIME UNDER HIS BELT TO LEARN AND MATURE HOW TO LEARN THE CLOCK AND MAYBE TWO MORE OFF LINEMAN TO GIVE HIM MORE TIME AND #2 RECEIVER AND EVEN A 3RD WIDE OUT LIKE A REALLY GOOD 3RD DOWN RECEIVER LIKE RICKY PROEHL. FOLLOWED BY A COACH THAT HAS SOME BALLS THAT AFTER EVERY GAME HE WOULDNT SAY THAT " WELL THE DEFENSE GAVE US A SHOT TO WIN" HOW ABOUT OUR OFFENSE REALLY SUCKS NOW AND ARE NOT CLICKING TOGETHER ON THE SAME SIDE.WELL THEN DAMT IM GOING TO REPLACE THEM WITH SOMEONE WHO WILL ."NEXT QUESTION"IM A PANTHER FIND TO THE END AND LIKE THE GUY SAID EARLIER, THE CAROLINA PANTHERS WILL BE A PLAYOFF TEAM NEXT YEAR AND SUPERBOWL BOUND WITHIN 3 YEARS. WRITE IT DOWN. COME ON BILL C AND GET THIS TEAM ROLLING.

To everyone who is bashing Jimmy Clausen, step outside your own little world on your couch in front of your TV for a minute. Professional football looks a lot different from behind center in the Louisiana Superdome staring down the throats of a Super Bowl defense that wants to take your head off. Give Clausen some time to grow and this young team time to improve. The game will slow down for him more with every start he gets under his belt. Rookie QBs do not come in and save the season for bad teams. Roesthlisberger, Flacco, and Matt Ryan all inherited solid teams. Our greatest hope is that Clausen blossoms into a franchise quarterback, a perennial pro-bowler. Yes, Peyton Mannings do not grow on trees, but imagine being one of those lucky few teams to have an elite QB. We need to support Clausen and give him an environment in which he can succeed. He needs to know Charlotte won't be calling for his head after one bad game (Philadelphia, anyone?).

Teams go through cycles; there are good years and bad years. The Panthers are rebuilding right now, so let them do their thing. I can endure a few tough seasons for a Super Bowl contending team. True fans support their team through the good and the bad, but more than that they just love football. Have some perspective: we get to see the greatest sport in the world played by the best players in the world right here in Charlotte. Be grateful you don't live in Idaho.

I will say this - the Panthers better pick up a receiver before the trade deadline, and they're looking pretty foolish for not getting Vick when they had the chance.

John Fox is one of the best coaches in the NFL. His style is not flashy and can be boring to watch for the casual fan who thinks the west coast is what offense is supposed to look like, but it is effective and consistent when you have the right players. If the Panthers let him go, you better believe he will be a head coach in another city within a month of the end of the season.

This is hilarious. In 2001 the Panthers had a 5 time Super Bowl champ as head coach and signed a Heisman QB from FSU who broke all the records at 6'5" 240 lbs with a gun who won the NCAA and was an NCAA title runnerup.

The Cats won the 1st game and lost the next 15 for a 1-15 record. Siefert was fired and rookie Fox sat Weinke on the bench even though he had 3000 yrs passing and 30 TDs as 2nd alltime in NFL history plus ran for 10 more TDs.

Fast forward 9 years.

The prob now is the new QBs really do suck with the team ( except for both RBs and kicker) and the head coach lost his mojo.

If Fox goes to another team and prob will get Tom Knotts back and make him head coach !!! That is the REAL answer.

Well, well. Yet ANOTHER Panther in trouble with the law. It starts at the top. When your owner refuses talking to the media, fans, or the "everyday working class" - when your General Manager is a former journalist (not a player), when your Offensive coordinator was run out of Cleveland (of all places) and when you have a coach who could care less about anything because of the owner, what does one honestly expect? You will never see this type of BS from winning organizations - because at those organizations, the owners and front office know what they are doing - and they know the FANS are the ultimate boss. Winning teams hire winners. The Panthers let every winner they had go - and now the walls begin to crumble. Jerry Richardson will be remembered as the modern day Al Davis - aroogance and ignorance ... a combination for failure!

Best QB on the team is stuck as a wide receiver! He is MOBILE, plays with poise, beat Flacco and Henne while in college, and is deadly accurate. If the current stats of the offense don't warrant giving him a shot, the Panthers did waste a pick! What do they have to lose...give Armanti a chance!

where's this big, talented offensive line marty hurney talks about. the left tackle isn't worth what ever you paid him. The left guard is flat footed and has trouble with active players, the center is undersize and gets no push vs. bigger opponets, the right guard got his ass handed to him vs. New Orleans, and their biggest, stiffest offensive lineman, Schwartz, looks like Herman Munster playing in sand. Where is their offensive line this season? No wonder their running back wants to cut every thing back! they have one receiver and all teams do is roll the coverage to his side. the other receiver are blockers first, receivers second. they don't stretch the field, they motion the receiver down inside to block but they are also bringing 9 and 10 defenders into the box on running plays. I would rather watch a HS game than pay 70 dollars to watch this crap. enough said. firing someone anyone may not be a bad idea. the forty niners did it why cant the panthers do it?

Smith punch Jimmy in hte face??? If anyone needs to be punched in the face it's Steve Smith. You don't burn your 2nd timeout on your 1st drive unless you are in scoring position. You especially son't burn it on 3rd and 16. You take the penalty, run the draw or a screen and if you don't convert, you punt. Having the timeout is much more valuable than the 5 yds he saved in what was a low percentage conversion situation to begin with.

Gotta love irony...someone talking about ignorance and blaming the owner for a WR getting his 2nd DWI in 4 yrs...Also, I thought Al Davis was the modern day Al Davis...In Al's defense, the throwback Al Davis teams won a few Superbowls...It amazes me how many people are throwing Richardson under the bus on this season...Just keeping it real here. Not tring to be harse but I'm sure a guy on borrowed time with a heart replacement isn't going with a 10yr plan to get back to the Superbowl...He wants to win as much, if not more, as the rest of us but he is the one footing the bill. Was I hoping he would empty the bank in a no cap year....yes...but it wasn't my money. And if I had been paying, I would have most likely went the same route he did with letting the high price vets go. Funny thing is most of the people griping about the cuts are the same that said to dump Peppers and Jake. You can't run the team to please the fans. Lets face it, for many of you there is no pleasing you. As a fan you have to remember that it's a business. Right now it is a floundering business but a business none the less. One other thing, if it was so easy to win Superbowls it wouldn't take 40+ years for teams to sniff their 1st much less win one. As a franchise the Panthers are actually pretty successful, maybe not as successful as we want but that's because we can't be pleased. If they win a Superbowl in my lifetime, I will being looking for number 2 the next season and so will all of you.